49 Celebrities Before They Became Famous

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Whoopi Goldberg Was A Mortuary Cosmetologist

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Long before Whoopi Goldberg, born Caryn Elaine Johnson, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of eccentric psychic Oda Mae Brown in the 1990 film Ghost, Goldberg, a licensed hairdresser, answered an ad for a morgue beautician. Her boss had a creative way of welcoming her—he sat up from one of the creaking drawers for corpses and effectively spooked Goldberg who bolted and ran into a door, then he told his new employee that’s the worst thing that could happen in the morgue which was unlikely to occur. Goldberg accepted the job and didn’t easily get frightened after that.

From her days in the funeral parlor, Goldberg has moved to New York and trained in acting. After her breakthrough role as a mistreated woman in Steven Spielberg’s coming-of-age period drama film The Color Purple, Goldberg has become a household name, winning many nominations and awards. A charismatic comedian, television personality, producer, and author, Goldberg has entertained viewers with her many films, including Sister Act and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, and theatrical productions such as the Broadway musical Thoroughly Modern Millie.